Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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375. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department has produced a new statement of strategy since May 2016; and if so, the measures in it to support persons with disabilities. [33631/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently in the process of finalising its new three year Statement of Strategy. The Statement of Strategy will reflect the importance placed on empowering people with disabilities to live independent lives, providing them with greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhancing their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. It will contain a number of measures to support persons with disabilities, reflecting the Programme for a Partnership Government. These include:

- Progressing the implementation of Transforming Lives,the programme to implement the recommendations of the Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services, which provides the overarching framework for the reform of disability services in Ireland;

- Progressing the reconfiguration of children's disability services under the Progressing Disability Services Programme (0-18s);

- Reviewing Assessment of Need provisions under Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005;

- Progressing the reconfiguration of adult day services, including the provision of appropriate services and supports for school leavers with disabilities who have continuing support needs, as recommended in the report New Directions: Review of HSE Adult Day Services;

- Progressing the reconfiguration of residential services as recommended in Time to Move On from Congregated Settings;

-Leading the Task Force on Personalised Budgets to give people with disabilities more independence, choice and control in accessing health funded personal social services and supports; and

- Drafting legislation for the introduction of a new scheme to assist certain people with a disability who face particular challenges in accessing transport to meet their increased mobility costs.